


Family Bonding

by openlybiromantic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, Downworlders, Families of Choice, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Luke Garroway, Multi, Uncle Magnus Bane, basically clarys interactions over the years with her family of choice, clary has a downworlder family, he deserves more love, that means raphael is her cousin im screaming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-05-14 18:01:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14774489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/openlybiromantic/pseuds/openlybiromantic
Summary: Long before Clary learnt of the Downworld, of Angels and Demons, she had a family of protective Downworlders who she loved fiercely and who loved her back just as much.Each chapter explores one member of Clary's family, before and after she learns of her true nature.It is p much all fluff excluding some angsty bits that happen in the show.





	1. Magnus, Before

 

Magnus Bane first met Clary Fray when she was just 2 years old, a toddler of terror, as they're supposedly called, he wouldn't know. Jocelyn had brought her to him in a fit of desperation, alone in New York as a single mother with no Mundane qualifications or experience for that matter. At this age, Clary's inner eye had begun to develop, leaving her vulnerable to the darkness of the Shadow-world, something her mother was viciously trying to prevent in any manner possible, including the suggestion of taking away her inner eye.

When Jocelyn had told him her plan he wanted to steal the kid away for himself. How dare she suggest such a thing? The removal of one's inner eye would cause a block of the Sight, a disconnect with the Shadow-world but also severe brain damage and the lack of imagination, as in not being able to imagine _anything_. Jocelyn had gone too far, and Magnus who would never be able to have his own child was shaken by the lack of consideration from a mother, to try and cause her child that much pain. 

Once he explained as much and threatened the Shadowhunter thoroughly, they had come to an understanding and agreed to temporary memory wiping. A band-aid solution, but a solution none-the-less. 

The next day Clarissa Fairchild, or Clary Fray as she would now be known was brought to his apartment in Brooklyn and her reign over her Uncle Magnus began. 

She had been so scared of the tall man with the strange clothes that she had burst into tears once his hands had been placed either side of her head and dear Lilith she. Did. Not. Stop. It took 2 hours to properly calm her down, using Jocelyn's rocking and shushing and Magnus's coloured smoke animals, sparking fingers, and a stuffed animal that was given to him by Caterina once a few years ago to distract her enough to go ahead with the spell. Even then the spell itself last another hour to complete and by the end, both adults and child were exhausted and passed out altogether on the extravagantly large sofas.

The next morning, Magnus awoke with a small head on his chest and a bright orange pigtail almost in his mouth, and with an overwhelming sense of calm. A look across the sofas shows Jocelyn completely passed out, face down in a mound of pillows and he was struck by the realization that she was only 24 and had already lost so much; her parents, her home, her husband, her friends, and her firstborn son. Now she was trying to raise her daughter by herself in a world that she had never known. She needed the rest.

"C'mon honeybee, let's let your mommy sleep a bit longer," he whispered as he carried a sleepy Clary against his chest into the kitchen. 

Now all he had to do is find a quick, kid-friendly breakfast. In _his_ kitchen. 

"Okay, anything you want to eat, sweetie-pie? Uh, we have - " He broke off to scratch at his beard in thought. What could he offer? His breakfast usually consisted of a cocktail of some kind and maybe some fruit if he was feeling healthy. Oh god, what do two-year-olds eat? Do they eat solid food yet? Does she have teeth? Would it be weird to check? 

After a few of minutes of scrounging he was close to giving up and just summoning something, risking jogging Clary's recently cleansed memories, but he could hear her stomach rumbling much louder than you'd expect from a being her size. 

"Biscuit!" 

His head whipped around and stared her in the face. "What did you say, Cahya?"

"Biscuit! Biscuit!" she chanted, her small fists waving in the air and a huge grin on her face. His heart melted.

"Would you like some biscuits for breakfast?" She nodded furiously, hair flying everywhere.

"Biscuits it is then," he murmured to himself, struggling to open a packet with one hand without dislodging the child on his hip. Once successful he moved onto making tea, one-handed as well though Clary wanted to help to stir. They sat together at Magnus's kitchen table, chatting away, Clary perched on one knee and drinking out of a plastic cup he had found somewhere in his cupboards when Jocelyn walked in blearily. 

"Well don't you two look all cuddly?" she asked bending down to kiss her daughter's forehead. 

"Yes well Biscuit and I made a very nutritional breakfast as you can see, and now she's been telling me about my future," Magnus shrugged, looking amusedly down at Clary in his lap who nodded along enthusiastically and added, "I Stirred tea! Mommy! And Panam Maggy have cats!"

 _Uncle,_ Magnus mouthed sheepishly when her eyebrows shot up at the accented word. 

"Ahh Panam Magnus is going to have lots of cats in his future, is that right honey?"

Clary nodded once more, "Yep! And boys!"

Mangus choked on his tea. 

 

* * *

 

 

Since then, Jocelyn took advantage of her new babysitter, though it was not as if Magnus minded in the slightest, his new little niece was the cutest thing he had ever seen, and he was over 820 years old. He had seen a lot of things. 

The main struggle was hiding his magic from her, he wanted to be able to spoil the only actual child he's ever had in his life, but he's had very strict limits imposed by Jocelyn while she worked in a restaurant nearby. (Her art career was not taking off as fantastically as she would have liked, and the waitress job barely allowed for the rent to be paid, and Magnus had offered a million times by now to help, but she always refused no matter how logically he presented the argument.)

He had been there for every birthday, every Christmas, every time Jocelyn found herself overwhelmed, or needed to mourn. He took Clary to her first concert at 13, had given her makeup advice, boy advice, life advice, held her when she cried when she felt like she didn't know who she was or felt guilty about her mom taking too many shifts and wearing herself out. Magnus became the person Clary went to when she couldn't talk to her mom and she didn't know what else to do. Thick as thieves. 

For his 26th (593rd) birthday, Clary had come round to the loft afterschool with the tiniest tabby kitten in her pocket, claiming that she found him outside and that he reminded her of her Uncle with his incessant mews and affectionate purrs, and couldn't leave him there. They come up with the name Chairman Meow together and argue about who the Chairman loves more constantly, accusing the tiny cat of betrayal of the highest order when he goes for the other for cuddles.

For her 16th birthday, Magnus gives her a scrapbook, meticulously filled with pictures of their small, strange family and told her that memories make us human, and love makes us family, no matter if blood is involved or not, kisses her on the forehead and calls her his Ginger Biscuit. 

He picks her up from school when he has no clients, each time with a more ridiculous car, blasting a more ridiculous song and outrageous makeup, just to watch her blush in fond embarrassment and hold back some choice words, her friend Samuel or something giggling at her and waving hello through the windscreen.

Clary was also there for Magnus, for when he needed to just watch some silly film with no questions asked, when he needed to know he was loved despite what he had done when he was young, ( he told Clary essentially that he was in a gang, not that his father was the Prince of Hell ). 

Clary was the only person he had ever been around to watch grow up, his niece, and he loved her.

Magnus was the only person that Clary could consistently rely on to always be there emotionally, her uncle, and she loved him.   

 

 


	2. Magnus, After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season 3 Spoilers!!

At first, they had not told the Shadowhunters that Magnus was her Uncle because they didn't really know who was the Circle and who was not, Clary not trusting anything around her after her mom was taken; after she thought Luke had betrayed her. Later it was more due to awkwardness and lack of time. I mean, Magnus was dating Clary's boyfriend's older brother. If he and Alec got married, Alec would be her Uncle. Freaky.

Also, between Valentine, Sebastian, and relationship drama, they just didn't spend as much time with each other as they used to, no one had noticed much, only Simon knew but he was a bit preoccupied with the whole vampire thing. So when Clary fell from that roof she ran straight to her Uncle for comfort, for help.

 

* * *

 

 

Magnus leapt in front of his niece, who had thrown her only weapons at the demon in an attempt to stop him, and blasted him repeatedly with magic, nothing working, not until he was thrown back into a stairwell and Luke shot him multiple times. Only then, he changed.

It was Jace. 

The Owl demon that they had been hunting for weeks now had been Jace the whole time, playing with his mind, making him believe he was going insane, making them think he was going insane but it was really that bitch Lilith. 

How were they meant to stop him? Kill Jace?!

The demon jumped vertically up the building, so high he was practically in flight, and Clary took off after him alone, Luke preoccupied with Ollie and Magnus himself trying to catch his breath from the attack. She shouldn't have gone alone, that was rule number one in the Book of Whatever Bullshit is Happening in the Shadow-world, you never go in -alone. But Clary, his headstrong-act-first-think-later Clary saw Jace and ran up the rackety fire-escapes. He should have followed her. 

He was texting Alexander, keeping him updated on the mission at hand, regarding his Parabatai, when he heard a loud crash, the sound of glass smashing and metal twisting. 

In New York, at this hour? He dismissed it. Anything could have been going on, he forgot about Clary's attempt to track down Jace temporarily, hearing about a vamp attack on Izzy at the Hunter's Moon. He could no longer dismiss it when his phone began to vibrate much stronger, a call coming through. As soon as the Caller ID loaded, his phone was to his ear, his heart in his throat.

"Biscuit? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" 

Nothing, just a raspy sound that he did not want to dwell on for too long.

"Clary? Sweet-"

"Paman?" Clary breathed. Her voice was weak, thready and full of pain. 

"Clary, what's happened? Where are you?" It will be nothing an iratze can't fix.  It will be nothing an iratze can't fix.  It will be nothing an iratze can't fix.  It will be nothing an iratze can't fix.

"Near Crosby and Grant." There was a metal clang hurtled through the speakers as though she had dropped the phone. This was not good. Not good at all. 

He created a portal possibly faster than he had ever made one before and ran. 

"Clary! Clary! Where are you?!" His head whipped back and forth, scanning for that bright hair he'd recognize anywhere. And there! A whimper came from a car nearby but as he approached he couldn't see anyone nearby but there was no- 

oh. 

 _oh no._  

Every limb was facing the wrong direction, her back unnaturally twisted, blood pouring from the back of her head from the impact with the car roof, hair even redder and sticky with the outpour, another red river coming from a slash across her forehead, a ring of purple bruises around her neck. her pulse beat slowly. He could easily guess what happened but he needed to make sure so that he doesn't murder Jace, no matter who he is possessed by right now. 

"Biscuit what happened?"

Another pained whimper.

"No, no, don't talk, I'm sorry. I'm going to heal you Cahya, don't worry. I'm here, I'm here,"

As carefully as possible Magnus levitated her broken body, mindful of the blood dripping both into and out of her mouth, keeping it clear so that her airways remained unblocked, and carried her through another portal into his apartment, laying her down in the spare room also known as Clary's Room. This was one room that Alexander had never wandered into, it was full of Clary's nicknacks she had collected over the years that she didn't have space for in her apartment with her mother or in the room in the Institute. Her spare clothes, a guitar, some canvases, her scrapbooks, and the stuffed animal he had given her in their first meeting. The walls were painted by Clary when she was 14, and it was the only room in the lair that he refused to redecorate. 

He got her comfortable on her bed, before sending off quick-fire texts to all those that needed to know what had happened.

"Okay, this is going to hurt, I have to reset a lot of bones, as well as fix all those nasty cuts so if you need to hold a hand, Biscuit, I'm here, Uncle Mags is here, sweetheart," with those reassurances and a small nod from Clary, Magnus got to work with tears in his eyes and one hand short. 

Her back was the worst to heal, it had been fractured and broken in many different places that if left untreated would have left Clary paralysed for life, no matter the number of iratzes applied, but eventually, with many grunts and half screams and tears, she was as healed as she was going to get. She drifted in and out of consciousness for the whole healing process, whispering things about Jace, about love between the sounds of pain that broke Magnus's heart.

He was leaving the room as Clary had finally passed out, when before the door closed he heard a faint whisper, "Love you Mags."

"Love you too, Biscuit"

As he closed her door, ready to collapse into his own room, drained from the emotional trauma he noticed a few too many people sitting on his sofas that he did not remember letting through the wards. 

Alec had wrapped himself around Izzy whose eyes were still bloodshot, mascara down her face; Simon was pacing furiously, a little too fast to be human; Luke had sat down with his head in his hands; Raphael was seemingly the calmest, but his finger twitching gave him away just as much as the others. Jace was nowhere to be found. 

The door clicked closed and all of the heads whipped up at once.

"How is-" "Is she o-" "Clary's gon-" "Please tell-" "Caterina would've c- "

The noise washed over him, his tiredness hit him like a tidal wave. He really just wanted to sleep, to wake up and have it been a dream, to not have nightmares of his niece lying there in agony, crying for him but he gets there too late- he's always too late- 

Alexander, his sweet angel noticed his expression, likely his tear tracks and calls off the verbal assault from the others. He passed Izzy to Simon while he goes and consoles his own boyfriend, sheltering him from the world in his strong arms. The comfort was the last straw, the floodgates once again open, and he would have fallen to the floor were it not for Alexander, lending him his strength as he so often does. Clary almost died, he almost saw his little ray of sunshine die in front of him.

The world falls away for however long they stand there, eventually, the others joining the hug, drawing the comfort they need from each other, even Raphael, however much he rolls his eyes. 

"Wow, group hug? Can I get in on this?" 

Clary, for whatever reason is unbeknownst to the rest of mankind, decided she had gotten enough rest and needs to see her family, leaning against the door frame with a smile on her face.

"Clarissa Adele Fray, if you do not get your butt right back into that bed now I will tell your boss that you need 4 months bedrest with no cat cuddling allowed!" Magnus yells, he had just healed her for god's sake. "I can do that, he's my boyfriend."

She giggles at her ridiculous Uncle's threat and then mockingly gasps, "The full name _and_ No Cat Cuddles?! Paman, how dare you?! You know that I'm the Chairman's favourite, you can't deny him all this for 4 months," she joked, gesturing to herself.

"Excuse you, I think you'll find he loves me more, and he'll love you even less unless you get back into bed. Maybe if you I can be bribed to bring him in after, and that's final. I almost lost you, I'm not losing you know because you're still being a stubborn toddler about her bedtime."

Clary's expression goes somber, she nodded and wobbled against the door, her feet unsteady, and her expression nervous.

"Can I have a hug first please, Uncle?" His eyes filled with tears.

"Always, Biscuit." 

He almost ran right towards her, engulfing her in his arms, a kiss on her forehead, her hair tickling the nook of his neck. With his eyes facing her bedroom, his back was, unfortunately, facing the incredulous expressions of 2 Shadowhunters who had previously not known about the "Uncle" thing. 

Clary's eyes went wide when she realised this; Izzy mouthing the word Uncle in awe, Alec having gone as pale as a sheet. 

The 3 Downworlders had also caught on, Raphael laughing quietly, Luke's deep chuckling and Simon's confusion.

"Wait, you guys didn't know Mangus was Clary's Uncle?"

"NO! You three did?! How did they know before us?" Alec asked.

Raphael shook his head, biting his lip in an attempt to stop smiling. "You dense Shadowhunters. Magnus has been Clary's babysitter and favourite Uncle since she was 2, Jocelyn used him to keep her memories at bay, remember? Luke knew because he's essentially Clary's father, paperwork or not, Simon because he has been Clary's best friend since they were 4."

"So how does that explain you, Raphael?" Izzy leaned forward curiously. 

He shrugged nonchalantly, Clary rolling her eyes knowing he was enjoying this too much.

"I'm Clary's cousin."

Silence followed this statement, Alec and Izzy looking dumbstruck, only broken by Magnus and Clary's high peals of laughter.   
  


"I adopted Raphael around 58 years ago now," Magnus reveals. "We did not try and keep this from you, we swear." 

Suddenly Clary doubled over again, clutching her stomach, the laughter had pulled a little too much at her newly healed wounds. Everyone shot up with alarm, the joking atmosphere had dissipated as soon as her pain became evident again. 

"Right, bedtime," Magnus dragged her into the bedroom and tucked her into the purple sheets. One by one, her family loaded themselves into her room and wished her well, before Clary passed out once again, this time much more content than before. 

 

* * *

 

The door to Clary's bedroom closed once again, and with that Magnus's energy once again dropped completely. He had used his energy up healing Clary tonight and now he felt completely drained, not that he regrets anything in the slightest. 

Alec, ever vigilant, shooed out everyone else. He closed the front door, then turned and helped his boyfriend get ready for bed. Once they were lying together, Magnus seeking comfort in his partner's arms, Alec felt the need to ask why Magnus had not told him.

"I did not mean to keep it from you, Alexander, truly, it's not anything I would ever be ashamed about. I presume since your meeting Clary, we have been much too busy for our usual familial shenanigans. Maybe we have just drifted apart." 

"Oh, I doubt that, Mags. You two seem very close even now, I wish I grew up having someone like you I could go to," Alec consoles, but the only reaction he receives is a noncommittal hum from Magnus, who seemed to be already drifting into sleep. He sighs and curls up to his Warlock, he feels as though he is going to be needed to keep the nightmares away. He supposes if she can make Magnus feel that happy; if she's wormed her way that far into his heart; Fray must not be all that bad. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Raphael Before

 

Raphael was a different story. Around the time Clary had turned 9, he had met her. It was also the first time he had been near a child in over 50 years. He was not prepared.

It was completely Magnus’ fault; he did not warn Raphael that he had a miniature Mundane in his office when Raphael had turned up looking for some advice. But there she was; small, bright red and beaming, spinning around in Magnus’ favourite chair while his father figure was nowhere to be seen.

“Hello!” her voice was high and obnoxious. “I’m Clary!”

“Hello, Clary,” he was dead, he wasn’t _rude_. “Do you know where Magnus is?” Raphael took a step closer to the desk where the child, Clary, was peering over and saw her doodling in one of Magnus’ spell books. _This is hilarious_ , he thought. _Magnus is going to obliterate her._ He’d been Magnus’ son for almost half a century and he still wasn’t allowed to touch those books, and here was some random kid drawing flowers in them.

However, no sooner had he asked the question Magnus sauntered into the room, both hands fading from a bright blue glow.

“Honeybee! Those drawings are to die for! Thank you for illustrating my books for me!” He then kissed her on the top of her head and spent time umming and ahhing over a picture of some sage.

What happened? Did he have a kid Raphael didn’t know about? Why does this child have Magnus wrapped around her little finger? His eyes narrowed with suspicion and his original problem had been swiftly forgotten. Who was she?

Finally, Magnus looked up from the image and walked past Raphael to reorganise some jars. He then walked past Raphael again to the desk and only when he sat down, did he actually realise Raphael was there.

“Oh, my boy! I didn’t hear you come in!”

“I’ve been here for 10 minutes,” he scowled.

“I’m so sorry, I was busy sorting out a client as well as this rascal since her parents are on a date tonight.”

Magnus sank into his chair and sat the small girl on his lap while he shuffled through his books, skimming pages so quickly he could hardly be reading anything at all, and Clary was content to lean back against his chest and watch. Every second that Magnus’ attention was not on him, Raphael’s frustration increased, but he could not gather the reason why. He’s 80 years old! He should not feel this stupid, trivial jealousy these days, especially caused by an admittedly innocent child. But Lilith-be-damned, he felt just like he was 8 years old again and his mama paid more attention to his little brother Mateo than him, and he was close to a tantrum.

“What,” Raphael summoned all of the snark he could manage. “You’re a mundane babysitter now? Did someone pawn off a child they didn’t want to pay for your lucrative services?”

“What is wrong with-”

Luckily Raphael was just saved a long and dramatic and emotional lecture. Unfortunately, it was the child that saved him.

“What’s a mundane?”

“Nothing sweetie, Raf likes to make up words, like those words in my recipe books?” He shot a glare directly at Raphael’s face which was so entirely subtle. Great. Maybe the lecture wasn’t avoided, after all.

“Hi, Raf! Are you friends with Magnus?”

“Raphael and I’m his son.”

“You didn’t tell me you were my cousin!” She launched herself at him like a tidal wave of red curls and glitter and wrapped her short body around him so that he was carrying her completely in some kind of hug. Clary was so warm, and she seemed not to mind Raphael’s icy skin as she tucked her face into the nook of his neck. Reluctantly, to stop her completely falling to the ground with a thud, he wrapped his arms around her too.

That was when Magnus’ phone blared so loudly it almost tore Raphael’s ears off with his sensitive hearing. Apparently, that was the crisis ringtone, and he had to leave immediately. Raphael barely had time to react before Magnus was kissing them both on the cheeks and telling them to behave before portalling to nowhere. Something, something, Demon, something warlock involved. There was no time at all for Raphael’s rapidly constructive yet convincing speech that him babysitting a mundane was the worst idea on the planet and _what the fuck is happening right now._

So, in a whirlwind of purple and panic, Raphael was left in the loft with an obnoxious nine-year-old on his hip to look after. Fantastic.

Gratefully, he had 19 years of big brother experience to fall back on. So, what if he was a little bit rusty? And dead? And despised Mundanes? He could entertain a child for an hour or two, easy.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

That night was one of the most taxing nights of his life, and his life had been very long. How did one girl contain so much energy in such a tiny body? How was she so stubborn yet so naïve?

Thankfully, the apartment hadn’t been burnt down, but it had been a close call. All in all, bonding had ensued, and even though Raphael would deny it at any turn, he missed looking after his siblings and playing silly games, and generally just being the child that he could never return to. Clary became a way for him to both connect to his past, but also escape the duties of a clan with her unending optimism and excitement.

 As she grew, she dragged her cousin to midnight showings of big box office premiers, to rooftops to bitch and moan, to late night cooking classes when she’s bored or he needs a night off or they just feel like it. Clary had never questioned why Raphael would never come out during the day, but Simon referred to him as her Quirky Creeper Cousin, one who’d occasionally show up to his concerts with a three-piece suit for no reason and wince whenever someone spoke into the mic. Clary didn’t care, her family was weird, but they belonged together. Maybe Raphael was quirky, but he was protective and funny, and he was really good at being there whenever Clary couldn’t sleep, no matter the late hour.

 Even though they attended many cooking classes over the last few years, Clary was not allowed to touch the food that Raphael prepared for their family meals, lest she risk burning down her own house. Sometimes Luke was allowed to step in, or Magnus if they were feeling lazy, but if Clary so much as picked up a tomato she’d have a steaming wooden spoon pointed at her and ready to attack. Raphael didn’t smile much more often than he had when he had first met her, but that was fine, he showed his love in other ways. For example, he managed to keep up with the extensive drama of middle and high school life and had just the right insult or praise for which ever person was mentioned. He taught her some rudimentary Spanish. He wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable with her, accepting her need physical affection and going out of his narrow comfort zone to make her happy.

Yes, of course, there were constant disagreements and vying for Magnus’ affection and almost constant competition, but there was also love and protectiveness. They were each other’s only cousins, and though they could easily get on each other’s nerves, they were family.  

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
